Tube-straightening machine.



J. ROWE.

TUBE STRAIGHTENING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1911.

1,060,365, Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

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o o N '1 N I 7 ll Q w r w I l I IWT" i Y "i N t PHI J. ROWE.

TUBE STRAIGHTENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1911. I 1,060,365.. Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

YWS QS JAMES ROWE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TUBE-STRAIGHTEN'ING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29,1913.

Application filed September 29, 1911. Serial No. 651,970.

To all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that I, JAMES Rown, citizen ofthe United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTube-Straightening Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention has for its object to pro vide a simple and efiicientmachine for straightening tubing and the like, and consists in thefeatures of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention: Figure 1' is aview in side elevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is avertical transverse section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. -1. Fig.3 is a fragmentary detail plan View of the same showing the position ofthe furnace and connections therewith for heating the pipes preparatoryto bending the same. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail vertical section onthe line H showing the means employed for rotating the tubes preparatoryto ascertaining the points at which the same is bent.

The particular object of my invention is to provide a machine forstraightening tubes which is very simple and cheap and is easilyoperable to straighten tubes of different lengths and diameters.

The machine comprises a bed 1 which may be conveniently constructed oftwo Lbeams, or the like, disposed parallel with each other and which aremounted upon end supports 2 in any convenient manner to bring the uppersurface of said bed the requisite elevation to render the operation ofthe machine convenient. On this bed there is rigidly mounted adjacentone end a member 3 comprising a flat plate equipped with two parallelvertical standards 4 and 5 respectively. The said standards 4 and 5 areequipped in their upper ends with recesses in which the shafts 6 and 7are removably journaled, each of the latter being equipped between itsends with a removable roller 8 and each equipped at one end with a spurgear 9. Said spur gears mesh with a single spur gear 10 mounted upon theshaft 11 ournaled in bearings 12 mounted upon the end portion of the bed1 carrying the plate 3. The said shaft 11 carries a tight and a loosepulley 13 and 14, respectively, between its ends and is rotated by meansof the belt 15v which is shifted by a belt-shifting lever 16 in theusual and well-known manner. The said shaft 11 is also equipped at oneend with a hand-wheel 17 by means of which it may be rotated forpurposes hereinafter set forth.

Slidably mounted upon the bed 1 of the machine adjacent the other end ofthe same is a plate 18 similar to the plate 3 which is also providedwith parallel vertical flanges or standards 19 and 20 which aresimilarly provided in their upper edges with recesses to receive shafts21, each of which is provided between its ends with a roller 22, saidrollers 8 and 22 being always of the same diameter thoughinterchangeable with rollers of smaller or larger diameter as may berequired.

faces truly concentric with the axis of the tube, is rotated, the saidend portions 24 resting upon the pairs of rollers 8 and 22,respectively, and being rotated by frictional contact with the saidrollers 8. During the rotation of said tube the operator by means ofmachinists chalk or other marking material marks upon thecircumferential wall of the tube between the ends thereof, the portionswhich are not truly concentric with the axis of rotation which alsoconstitutes the true axis of the tube and after having so marked thesame at one or more points discontinues the rotation by shifting thebelt 15 and thereupon effects the straightening of the tube so as torender all parts thereof practically truly concentric with the axis ofrotation, this being accomplished in the following manner: Journaled inbear ings 25 and 26 secured to the lower face of the bed 1 is a shaft 27upon which a sleeve 28 is mounted which is longitudinally and rotatablymovable thereon. The said sleeve 28 is rigid with one end portion of asubstantially U-shaped arm 29 and is disposed adjacent the free end ofone of the arms thereof. The other arm of said U-shaped member 29carries an internally threaded sleeve or hub 30 in which the screw shaft31 is engaged, the latter being equipped with a hand-wheel 32 rigidtherewith and carrythe same being adapted to be swung to thepositionshown in dotted lines in Fig. 2-, to bring the said block 33 invertical alinement and engagement with the tube 23 for the purposeofexerting a pressure uponthe latter for straightening the same, as willbe obvious.

A furnace 35having a hinged cover. 36 is longitudinally movable upon thebed 1, the same being connected by means of a flexible tube37 with asource of supply of combustible gas under pressure and by means ofanother flexible tube 38 with a source of sup- 1 ply. of air underpressure which said gas and air are introduced into the furnace in theusual and well-known manner to produce a high temperature within thesame, suitable valves being provided for. controlling the supplies ofair and gas respectively, in any usual and well-known manner, and asclearly illustrated in the drawings. The cover 36. of the furnace isadapted,to be turned back for the purpose of enabling a tube 23 to beinserted in the machine and furthermore to permit access to 1 everyportion of the circumferential surface of the tube 23 for the purpose ofmarkingthe same during primary rotation. After having markedthe tube anddetermined exactly at which points the circumferential surface is nottruly concentric with the axis of rotation the operator closes thefurnace after having ignited gas introduced into the same and then movesit to that pointin the length of the tube 23, which requires bending; itbeing understood, of course that the tube will previously have beenturned by means of-the hand-wheel 17 to bring uppermostthose portions ofthe surface which are farthest removed from the axis of rotationv of.the tube. By means of the furnace the tube is heated to the requisitetemperature to enable the same to be easily bent and, after having soheated the same, the said furnace is moved longitudinally of the bed 1away fro-m the heated portion of the tube and-the member 29 is thenmoved to bring the block 33 opposite such heated portion. The, saidmember 29 is then moved tothe position shown in dotted lines in Fig. -2and byv means of-the hand-wheel 32 the block 33 is brought to bear uponthe tube to bend the same by forcing down the highest portionin thesurface thereof :the requisite disdered interchangeable so that when atube of smaller diameter is to. be straightened largerrollers 8 and 22are employed and when the tubes of'larger diameterare to be straightenedsmaller rollers are employed.

1 The rollers 8. are removable from theshafts 6. and 7. and are heldagainst rotation relatively. to the same by means of: keys, iset screwsor: the like, the gears 9 and 10 employed being always the same andbeing rigid withthe, shafts (Sand 7.

An arm 39 is pivotally secured at one end to the arm.29 between the endsof the middle leg of the latter and is. adapted when said arm 29. isturned tothe position ;shown in dotted lines in Fig. -2., to be swung toextend over the supporting bed }of the machine, a projection orv hook40.0n. the free end of. said arm39being. adapted to. engagethe edgeofthe bed to support said arm. 29 is position to maintain the block 33in en aging position relatively to the tube to be straightened.

My said machine is very simple and eflilcient.

I claim as my invention:

1. A machine of the kind specified, comprising a supporting bed, meansthereon for rotatably supporting a tube, means for rotating said tube, amember movable longitudinally of said bed and pivotally movable fon anaxis parallel with the axis of rota- ;tion of said tube, an arm on saidmember adapted, when the same is turned in one direction, to overhangthe supported tube, a screw-shaft mounted in said arm and adapted whenrotated to turn and movelongitudinally on an axis perpendicularv to theaxis of rotation of said tube and t0- bear on the latter to bend thesame, and a block interposed between the circumferen- .tial wall of thetube and the end ofsaid: screw-shaft and rotatable relatively. to thelatter for distributing the pressure exerted v thereby, said member adaptedto be turned on its pivot to throw said screw-shaft out:'ofoperative relation to the tube.

2. A machine of the kindspecified, comprising asupporting bed, meansthereon for rotatably' supporting a. tube, means for retating said tube,a furnace slidable on said ibed andthrough which the tube passesbe=Itween its ends,a shaft carried by said bed and extending longitudinallythereof, an arm slidable on said shaft and adapted to swing on the axisthereof, a manually operable screw-shaft mounted in said arm, and ablock adapted to rest on the tube and adapted to be engaged by saidscrew-shaft to bend the tube.

3. A machine of the kind specified, comprising a supporting bed, adevice for rotatably supporting one end of a tube mounted on one end ofsaid bed and operable to rotate said tube, a device for rotatablysupporting the other end of said tube, one of said devices movablelongitudinally of said bed, a furnace slidable on said bed and throughwhich the tube passes bet-ween its ends, a shaft carried by said bed andextending longitudinally thereof, an arm slidable on said shaft andadapted to swing on the axis thereof, a manually operable screwshaftmounted in said arm, and a block adapted to rest on the tube and adaptedto be engaged by said screw-shaft to bend the tube.

4:. A machine of the kind specified, comprising a supporting bed, amember thereon equipped with two parallel shafts, a drive shaft gearedthereto, rollers interchangeably mounted on said shafts and adapted torotatably support one end of a tube, a carriage longitudinally movableon said bed, rollers interchangeably mounted thereon and adapted torotatably support the other end of said tube, a furnace slidable on saidbed and through which the tube passes between its ends, and manuallyoperable means slidable relatively to said bed and adapted to bear uponsaid tube to bend the same.

5. A machine of the kind specified, comprising a supporting bed, amember thereon equipped with two parallel shafts, a drive shaft gearedthereto, rollers interchangeably mounted on said shafts and adapted torotatably supportone end of a tube, a carriage longitudinally movable onsaid bed, rollers interchangeably mounted thereon and adapted torotatably support the other end of said tube, a furnace slidable on saidbed and through which the tube passes between its ends, a shaft carriedby said bed and extending longitudinally thereof, an arm slidable onsaid shaft and adapted to swing on the axis thereof, a manually operablescrew-shaft mounted in said arm, and a block adapted to rest on the tubeand adapted to be engaged by said screw-shaft to bend the tube.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JAMES ROWE.

WVitnesses RUDOLPH WM. LOTZ, M. M. BOYLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

